product: Master Massive - The Pendulum
release date: 29.05.2015
label: ViciSolum
format: CD
PR territory: Europe
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The MASTER MASSIVE biography goes as far back as 1993, when guitar player Jan Strandh released a 6 song cassette with singer Erik Forsberg, bassist Johan Wijkmark and drummer Petter Karlsson. Later that year, bass player Karl Nyhlin was recruited. The spot for a second guitar player was altered between Anders Ericson (BEYOND TWILIGHT and SECTU) and Yngve Frank (ZANITY and MEAN STREAK).
With the urge of doing something different, Jan initiated the idea of making a heavy metal opera. Together with Ninitha Maivorsdotter the libretto of “THE PENDULUM" was created.
With line-up Jan, Yngve, Petter and Karl and hosted by a long list of singers from the hometown of Skövde, the opera was recorded.
Different constellations of the band have come and gone. Despite the bands medial obscurity and absence from the recording industry, MASTER MASSIVE is well connected in the Heavy Metal community. Jan has been a member of both TWILIGHT and NOTRE DAME and Anders has two other obligations in BEYOND TWILIGHT and SECTU. Petter went on to THERION. Karl changed his musical direction and is now a professional lutenist.
Jan Strandh about “The Pendulum”:
While working with The Pendulum we wanted to experience the anxiety that comes with the knowledge of the negative changes taking place in the world. Fear felt by common people far from the centre of power and therefore in no position to make major decisions and changes. This feeds the feeling of hopelessness of living in a non-working civilization where necessary political decisions are not possible to make. To seize power over our own fear and to get out of this relentless emotion we decided to create a personal legend in the form of an opera. In this opera – The Pendulum, one single individual is given the power to change the fate of the Earth. Impossible in real life, but totally viable within the aesthetic framework of opera as an art form. In our opera the human being chosen for the assignment is a normal person, not a hero character. His only weapon in the fight for the Earth’s survival is his ability to refrain from the thoughts, feelings and habits hitherto a natural part of him.
